Vehicle lift



Nov. 18, 1941. c. D. cLAwsoN l-:T AL

VEHICLE LIFT 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 20, 1940 FIGJL.

INVENTORS` 'I CHESTER D. CLAwsoN THOMAS H. BRANCH ATTORNEY.

Nov. 18, 1941. c. D. cLAwsoN ETAL VEHICLE LIFT Filed July 20, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 18, 1941.

VEHICLE LIFT 'iiiiiiiil C. D. CLAWSON ETAL Filed uly 2o, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet INVENT CHESTER D.'C| AwsoN THOMAS H. BRANCH ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STAT Chester D. Clawson, Pine and flvhomas'H.' Branch, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to St. Louis Lift & Equipment Corporation, St. Louis, Mo.,

a corporation of Missouri Application July 2o,1940,seia1N0.346,46

'This invention relates generally to vehicle lifts and, Ymore particularly, to certain new and useful improvements in lifts especially, though not exclusively, adapted for use in connection with motor. vehicles, such as passenger automobiles, trucks, buses, and the like, for elevating the vehicles for facilitating' lubrication, repair operations, and analogous purposes.

Our invention has for its primary objects the provision of a lift of the type and for the purposes stated which may be readilyinstalled with the elimination of excavations or other costly preparatory operations, which is stable, positive, and safe in operation, in which travel ofthe vehicle supporting frame may be stopped and the frame effectively held at any level of elevation, in which .travel of the vehicle supporting frame is automatically controlled at the upper and lower limits of its 'movement,- which is economical in maintenance and operatingcosts, and whichis comparatively free of occupational hazards in that moving parts are largely concealed, protected, and guarded.

Our invention has for further objects theprovision of a lift which is conveniently adaptable for voperatively meeting unevenness in the floor or other supporting structure, in which the vehicle supportingA frame may freely travel notwithstanding one or the other of the posts of the structure may rock or be out of a true vertical position, which is extremely flexible in operation, and which isyhighly efficient in the performance of its stated functions.

And with the above and other objects in view,

ourinvention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims. l

In the accompanying drawings (3 sheets)- Figure 1 isa plan View of a vehicle lift constructed in accordance with and embodying our present invention; e Figure 2 is a side elevationalview of the lift; Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the lift; Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged detail sectional views'of the lift taken approximately along the lines 4 4 and 5 5, respectively, Figure 3;

Figures 6, 7, Vv8, andA 9 are enlarged detail sectional views of the lift taken approximately along the lines 6 6, 1 1, 8 8, and 9 9, respectively, Figure 4; and

Figure lO'is an enlarged fragmentary sectional 'view of the lift taken approximately along the line IIJ-I0, Figure 4, illustrating in more detail one of the .selfacompensating or equalizing hanger-,bearings of the lift.

Referring now inv more detail and by referencel characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of our present invention, thelift includesv four upstanding parallel corner posts A,.B,C, `and D juxtaposed in the formation of a skeleton or open oblong-rectangular standard, the posts A, B, and C being each preferably constructed in the form of a hollow rectangular column having a preferablyy integrally formed flanged base I for floor.y attachment, an outer or front Wall L2, opposite vside Walls 3 and 4, an inwardly presented so-called rear wall 5 provided lengthwiseA with la slot or way 6, and a centrally apertured top wall or cap l. The remaining post D, which likewise includes a base I, a front wall 2, side walls 3, 4-arear Wall 5, and a cap 'I, is, however, provided in both its rear wall 5 and front wall 2 'with registering longitudinal slots 6, 6',- for purposes presently appearing.

Welded or otherwisey suitably fixed at its lower end-in the base I and ldisposed axially or longitudinally within eachrespective post A, B, C, D, is a threaded shaft Vor stationary screw 8 projecting at its upper end through the. aperture of,

. and securely, as by means of a cap-nut or the like 9, held under tension in, the cap 1.

-'I'hreadedly mounted for movement or travel on each of the screws 8, is a screw-nutv E having a. bevel gear endportion or ring I0 and a suitably elongated and diametrically reduced shank or bearing-portion Il, and loosely journaled or sleevedl upon the shank II and supported upon the upper flat face of the bevel gear ring I0 by means of a conventional ball-bearing ring I2., is

a'hubV I3` provided `with an internal anti-friction brass sleeve I4 and' joined preferably integrally by a suitable arm I5 with a horizontally disposed journal sleeve I6.

` ',Upon its upwardly presented face,the hub I3 is' machined or otherwise ground off, as at a, toa somewhat spherical contour yfor rockable cooperationwith a complementary inverted cuplike shoe I1 having an enlarged opening l'IEL freely and loosely embracing the particular screw 8, as best vseen in Figure 10, andvv preferably integral with 4`a.v supplemental or extension arm I8 presented outwardly through the adjacent shaftwayv or slot 6 and joined to, or otherwise forming part'of, a bracket F forming, in turn, part of a hollow or .tubular cross-beam G of a so-called vehicle supporting and lifting frame. It will be understood that the arm I8 is of reduced-width laterally extending horizontal bracket rf shelf means pf pe1 ts 38 w1 nu1ley s .3 8 f keyedaunon a shaftsectiorr mjournalediinithesbraeketsf and es pa Y upon',r 'and 'extending longitudinally of .ably constructedorrolled steellibeams having before' th'e ge'a 'aY vertically dispo'sedfw the undersideoffthevehicle'axlesfas: preser y the switchehandle i f 2,262,833 y or thickness 'for facile travel in the slot 6 relanaled in bearings 54 on the cross-beams Gand tively to the particular post. 1 provided with bevel gears 55 havingmeshing en- Each of the two cross-beams G of the lift isv gagement with they respective, bevelgear-rings of a length to extend 'between the columns or 24, all .as bestseen in Figures 5 and 6 and. for

Vposts atan end of the lift, as, for instance; be- `5 purposes presently fully appearing.

tween the posts A and B at one lift-end and be- Mounted upon, and projecting laterally from,

'tween the posts C and D at the oppositeliftend the side wall 3, and adjacent the upper end, of each cross-'beam G being reduced. in thickness theV postv D, 'is a motor control switch 56 preferand pressed to an upwardly convex contour at ablyl of the conventional double-pole doub1e. spaced portions in the vprovision of yso-called rolllo throw type, suitably connected in circuit with over sections I9 aligning at'the opposite ends of vrthe motor or other prime-mover 36. The switch 56 the lift for accommodating the vehicle wheels-jvr includes an external actuating arm 51 pivotally Extending axiallyor longitudinally through v connected at one end to' the upper extremity 0f a f the respective cross-beams G, is`-aasectiona1shaft vertically disposed'rod 58 provided intermediate including'a central portion 2lffconnected-at 1'5 .its ends with-'spaced set ycollars 59, 60. At its lower its `opposite ends by means of conventional uni- "t` j end', the 'rod' 5'8 1s `shiftab1y extended through an versal joints 22 to end portions 23. Intermediate'Av ear 'l'xed upon lthe outer face of the postits ends, the central shaft portion 2|fr extends?n` wall 3..' FixedI upon the adjacent cross-beam G,

through, and is pinned in, a bevel gear ring '14y is anarm 62 having its outer end embracingly the hub 25 of which is journaled in abearing 20 disposed for slidable movement around the rod58 bracket 25 suitablmfixed. withinathezparticular interm'ediatethe. co1lars59f, 6.0,a1l asv bejst seen. in

cross-beam G, as bestseen in FiguresA and 5. Figurea. auditor purposes'presently f ullyiap- Atitsopposite orfouter endeachshaft section pearingv ,f 23 is slidablykeyed ina coupling, member Z'Lroj'a use:andaoperationsthevehicle-to befelevated universal joint218, the: other coupling5-member 25 is: drivenvoverithe roll-@over beam-,sectionsrltoa g 29 oiwhichis,in turn,lpinned uponsthe end ofav position:linterrnediate:thezcrossabeams.Gl inv more stub shait rjourna-led by means vof `ball-rings orslessA central disposition lover: thelift-.bear'ns 3U! in the sleeve: t6 and suitably provided, ata its J, J Thereuponpthaswitcl'r-arm51 isshiited to outer end. with; a bevel gearA 3l fori'fmesliingg en upV position, closingsthetcircuit tosthernotor gagementwiththe gear ring-I M1l ofy the screw 3f) Uponenergizationg, thez-rotarymovement ofits y nut E, all asfbest..4 seen, inLFigjure landifornulfe puller-3,1 is transmittedzthrougnthe belts 3 8, and poses presently appearing., pulleys.f 3l. to'` the-Limainx driveshaft.: -4mm-then A particularfbracket Ffadjjacent. to, and assothrough; the', meshifnazzgearsospinions, 4|.,42, tq ciated with,v the liftpost Dfincludes angarmf 1 the iointedyshaft 211i ot onebeam G, and, then elongation; orv extensionsz,whichlproiectsout: ughlthe palsiqfimesh' g gears 24, .5 5;,-f.and wardly through the postslot. Bf and ,is provided th shaft es tetheshaazrgofthe companion 'with a attened end-flangel` 33 .f orj dependingly Gal,The rotatoryfmovement,of theshafts 2111s mi turf supporting; spaced parallel;` .l'ourna1-brackets5;;,34. f Intermediate theiront wallflpf:post Df-and ,theend-flanse,3 3',l thevarm.S2-:s-providedfwitha @l0 n. th Screw-nuts@- `e tationary screw 35 for supporting anelectricj Imotor 36the; drive A th. bop pulley 3l of which is. conventionally .conneetedfbx formingpart ,O f amant drive1,shaft 441. 1sisposeflV for rotation-in.A theclpssfbearm CT.; elfvfatlon As best seenx in Figuresand 6, the.T sh S11 sectienfnifhs; aultn ialy universal@ eci tion, as: if mwithia secendf shaft-section@in WardWal/,elpff-llif tum, Joined, asfat-ipfwithathirdshaitfseten r its" koi? 4s; for purposes presently; muy appearing. t in o between, ythe cross-beams G anda so. for Y 'part vof the vehicle"liftingjframejisifa. palrfof Offfpbsitionand laterallyspacedzpaaneljbeams Jg'Jea'chipr'efe feiblflel `Cessation 0fupward travlbf ll'lll'fflift tsElreachfthelfextremeiupper 44 and aphorizortally 15 end of-thestat onarys'erew'shafts 8.* '4 1l*- supfporti-gly engaging To lower the lift v'and the su shiftedfto downposi;v

tion, whereupon th motor136-viillbe turnedin .the opposite, direction7 and r'theentirelmechanism disposed top Aflange v45-fo Y curing meansl 46 upon? the'Web-M of one fjrsaid 7b 'be reversedi-for flowering therliftlfbeams J; J ,.and

. 'aligned' vbearing-Lsleeves 48forirotatably` accom; t SWitCh-hafndle 5T Will COIlGA `lift-bearns,as, for instancegbeam' Jf is apainof the' Supported veh'cleitofthe ,gFOImCL Wh11fsthe laterally presented vbrackets 41 havingiaxiall'y lift-beams J, J', have beenufully loweredthe eontact withgthe 11i; bie; automatically modating a cross-shaftl 49 preferably connected @collare `60; and' fthe, rodg .by universaljointsfil.; with stubshafts.y fjour.- shifted;togffoipositionforginterrupting.the cir? transmitted' thm/ugh; the. bevelgealrs :bams andfthe j danses pported' vehicle,v y

cuit to the motor 35. In the event of power failure or other such cause, the lift may be manually lowered by rotary manipulation of a conventional crank (not shown) operatively disposed upon the squared end 43 of the shaft 40.

It will be evident by reference to Figure l that the arcuate bearings between the respective members E and beams G provided by the ground hubs i3 and shoes i1, the loose embracing engagement between the several shoes with the screws 8, and the axial shiftability of the shaft-sections 30 permitted by the slidable coupling-members 21-28, freely permit and efficiently compensate for any so-called out-of-alignment or true verticality of the several screws 8, and thus the lift may freely travel upwardly and downwardly relatively to the standard provided by the posts A, B, C, and D, notwithstanding the fact that one or more of said posts and their housed screw-shafts 8 may be out of true vertical registration or alignment.

Thus, by our present invention, we provide a unique vehicle lift which fulfills in every respect the objects stated, and it should also be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the lift may be made and sub-l stituted for those herein shown 'and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a standard including a plurality of spaced upstanding shafts, a vehicle lift frame disposed within the standard, frame-supporting means including members movable on the shafts and brackets journaled on said members, support-means on the frame resting for relative movement in all directions on said brackets, and driving means mounted on the frame and co-operable with the shaft-members for raising or lowering the frame relatively to the standard.

2. I n combination, a standard including a plurality of spaced upstanding stationary threaded shafts, screw nuts mounted for travel on the shafts, bearing means rotatably mounted on each screw nut, a vehicle lift frame disposed within the standard, arms on said frame loosely embracing said shafts and loosely resting for relative movement in all directions upon said bearing means, and mechanism for effecting lift raising or lowering rotation of the nuts on the shafts.

3. In combination, a standard including a plurality of spaced upstanding stationary screw shafts, a vehicle lift frame disposed within the standard, screw nuts mounted for travel on the shafts, bearing means rotatably mounted on each screw nut, arms on said frame loosely embracing the shafts and resting on said bearing means, said bearing means and said arms being provided with respectively convex and concave interfitting surfaces for permitting relative rocking movement, and means for effecting lift elevating or lowering rotation of the nuts on the shafts.

4. In combination, a standard including a plu- 5. In combination, a standard including a plu` rality of spaced upstandingv stationary screw shafts, screw nuts mounted for travel on the shafts, a bearingcollar rotatably embracing each nut and having an arcuate end-face, a vehicle lift frame disposed within the standard, arms on said frame having end-portions apertured for loosely embracing the shafts and having arcuate under faces resting on the arcuate faces of said collars for permitting relative rocking movement, and means including a plurality ef interconnected shafts having shiftable connection with said nuts for effecting frame elevating or lowering rotation thereof.

6. A vehicle lift including a standard comprising a plurality of spaced upstanding hollow posts each having a longitudinally slotted vertical Wall, stationary screw shafts mounted co-axially within each respective post, screw nuts threadedly mounted on the shafts, and having collars each provided with an upwardly presented spherical surface, a vehicle supporting frame disposed for movement within the standard, bracket-arms on the frame projecting through said slots and resting upon said spherical surfaces, a plurality of interconnected shafts mounted for rotation upon the frame and having shiftable driving connection with said screw nuts, and means comprising an electric motor mounted on the frame and drivingly connected to the shafts for simultaneously rotating the screw nuts.

7. An automotive lift comprising a plurality of upstanding post-members each provided with a xed vertical screw, a gear nut threadedly vmounted upon each of said screws, bracket means mounted on each of the gear nuts for vertical movement therewith and having a bearing disposed at a fixed angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the gear nut, gear-nut driving means rotatively mounted in the bearing for meshing engagement with the gear nut, a frame disposed within the space defined by the posts for vertical movement therein and having means for rockably engaging the brackets to compensate for vertical deflectionvof the screws, and driving means mounted on the frame for movement therewith and having drive shaft means slidably keyed to the gear-nut driving means for maintaining driving connection to the gear nuts irrespective of the compensatory shifting movement of the frame with respect to the brackets.

CHESTER D. CLAWSON.

THOMAS H. BRANCH. 

